February 12, 2033
The house greeted us with a low, mechanical hum—the air conditioner's way of saying we were home.
Our living room was rather modest; my mom didn't like the high-and-mighty lifestyle most famous celebrities indulge in when they hit it big.
You could almost feel the minimalism in the white walls, the random paintings Elise insisted on getting, and the occasional bookshelf, though it's usually me who uses that.
"Waahhhh!"
I facepalmed as I looked at the annoyingly loud person beside me.
"Minami, pipe it down," I muttered, flipping the page.
"I can't!" she wailed, glued to the movie on TV.
My twin sister, Minami Shizuka. The bane of Elise's existence. The only person to ever make Mom lose her composure—which is pretty impressive. And, unfortunately, the person I have to deal with on a daily basis.
It's not that she does it out of malice—at least I think she doesn't—she's just your average teenage girl. I could partly understand why she would be excited for an attractive guy appearing on television.
Despite all this, Minami and I share a bond only twins could understand.
Like the time we collaborated on a secret cake-baking mission for Mom's birthday, covering the kitchen in flour but ending up with the most memorable cake ever.
To be fair, we were six when we did that.
I smiled before standing up and moving towards the couch, sitting beside the mini shelf right next to it as I stretched my legs on the floor rug.
And on the shelf? There were several volumes of a popular manga series stashed in there. Elise once told me that my mom played the heroine in the live-action movie trilogy based on it.
That trilogy was the one my sister was watching.
"AHH! HE'S SO DREAMY!"
Seriously, my ears were bleeding, and this was just the first movie.
"Who?"
"The hot guy! You know, the one that got together with the main character?!"
"Huh?" I looked up. "What are you even watching?"
Minami stopped whaling—thank goodness—and looked at me with the most serious face she could muster.
"You know, Mom's big break or something."
"So it's Sengen, then?"
"Yeah! That's the one! I didn't know you were such a huge nerd, Miya!"
I could almost feel a vein popping in my forehead.
"Says the obsessive fan."
For the record, Sengen was and is a popular manga series. I can understand the hype behind it; its first volume alone was disgustingly well-made as well. It's actually scary how well Mom portrayed the heroine.
I sat up on the couch, sitting next to her as the next scene rolled up.
"I really don't understand why you're like this," I said, leaning back.
"Duh! How can't I not act like this? This is Mom's first movie."
"It was made 15 years ago—"
"But it was the best of its time!" Minami jumped up onto the couch, leaning on its cushion as she faced towards the direction of the kitchen. "Right, Elise? You were there, right?"
Elise took a sip of her coffee, and the sounds of the keyboard clicking stopped. "Yes, but please just tone it down, I'm working here."
The very unsubtle grin on Minami's face told me everything I needed to know.
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Later that night, I was busy studying in my room. It used to be mine and Minami's when we were twins, but, of course, we had to separate at some point.
Mostly because I wanted peace and quiet, and while Minami was too busy fangirling, I was actually preparing for my future.
It's been months since that whole incident. I thought, I wonder how Kanae is doing.
I looked up from my book, taking in the medals and photos on my wall.
They were composed of my "accolades" in school. Whether it's from competitions or achieving high marks on tests, Mom insisted on displaying it.
One of the photos was taken during my first year in middle school. Minami had yet to grow her hair out, and I was mentally preparing myself for what was about to come.
However, that was all in the past; I'm a month away from graduating, and all that's left are the entrance exams.
I already had the date encircled on my calendar:
February 22, 2033.
Just a few weeks from now.
I'm not necessarily nervous; I'm just worried about Minami's chances. Despite her many talents, she's never excelled academically, and I'm afraid her future could be at stake.
Besides, we've always been close, and attending different schools from her isn't something I plan on doing.
Let's just say that her performances at school are... "barely passing."
She's talented, sure, just not academically.
The screen of my phone glowed on the table.
"Miya!!!"
It was a text from Minami.
"What?" I replied.
"I'm booooored :((("
"You could try studying for once, you're planning on taking the same exams as me, right?"
This is why I was worried. Minami wants to attend Minato High, the same school I'm planning to attend, but I'm not sure if she can pass.
I'm pretty sure her internal reason would be "If Miya can do it, I can do it too!". However, based on my experience from having to live with her since birth, there's no chance that she can pass that.
And in all honesty, I think it's something more than sibling rivalry.
I just can't figure it out just yet.
"But I hate studying!" She replied.
"You want to go to Minato High as well, right? If you want, I could tutor you."
A good few seconds passed before my door opened.
"Really?! You would?"
Would you stop shattering my eardrums?
I set my phone down and stood up from my chair.
"Yeah, you could've just asked, you know."
Minami gave me a sheepish grin. "Hahaha... Well—"
"You know you can't do it yourself, don't you?"
I walked towards her. "Listen to me, you want to become someone like mom, right?"
She spoke up. "Without—"
"Without following in her footsteps, yeah, I know."
I stepped past her, taking us outside my room as I closed the door.
"The entertainment industry is a harsh world; in the most extreme cases, the chance of failure is more than 99 percent."
I continued as we descended the stairs. "You'll need a backup plan in case anything goes south for you if you do try to enter it."
We both arrived in the kitchen. It was past 11 pm already, but since this is for Minami's sake, I guess I could sacrifice some sleep. Besides, Minami already has an absurd amount of energy; I doubt it'll affect her.
"Just promise me that you'll take this seriously." I brought out my reviewer.
"A hundred percent!"
I sighed. She's obviously lying, but what the hell. Might as well give it a try.
This is for her sake, after all.
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I was wrong—painfully, headache-inducingly wrong.
Thinking I could teach Minami myself was a mistake from the start.
Just remembering made my head ache:
"What is the formula for acceleration on an incline?"
"Oh! I know this!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, isn't it something like mass and stuff?"
"Not even close..."
By morning, after a very sleepless night, I decided to get some fresh air in Yoyogi Park.
Maybe the cold air would clear my head—and figure out how to stop Minami from crashing her exams.
It was around 11 am when I left, too. That makes me even more concerned since Minami's the one left at home.
My eyes squinted from the thought. Please, at least let the living room be intact once I get back.
I walked along the path, catching glimpses of trees, benches, and decorations. There were lots of red decorations, some pink, but mostly red.
Although it's explainable by considering the date today.
February 13.
A couple was seated under a tree, kissing. Public indecency at its finest, though I wouldn't care either way.
I'm just a random kid walking around this place, after all.
Through the trees, by the lake, there's stuff everywhere featuring things related to Valentine's Day.
Oh, right. I should get something for them...
I began roaming around the park, taking in the fresh air once more as I passed several families seemingly enjoying their days.
While strolling, I thought I caught a glimpse of someone familiar. I shrugged, brushed it off. Maybe it was just my imagination.
I think I even passed a street performing group along the way, too. It was quite impressive, if only I had the uniform on...
I could scout them into—
"Oh! Scout boy!"
Huh...?
I turned around.
My eyes widened.
A flash of cream caught my eye. A beret, tilted just enough to frame the chestnut waves I remembered. The lilac turtleneck and camel coat looked like something out of a winter catalogue, but the way she carried them—shoulders loose, steps sure—felt new.
I almost forgot the nervous girl from Shibuya even existed.
Almost.
I could say that she looked better than she did months ago.
Maybe it really was the agency that hindered her growth.
I paused for a moment before waving and giving her a smile.
"Kanae! Looking good, how's your new agency treating you?"
She waved as she approached, her new look almost erasing the memory of the nervous girl I'd met before.
Almost.
That girl was still present in there somewhere. But I guess I can sleep knowing she didn't end up in the dumps.
"Great!" She fell into step beside me. "I've started getting more jobs after the transfer."
She tilted her head. "What about you?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
I gave her a wink before speeding up the pace.
"Hey!" She tried catching up, now being a few steps behind as I made my way towards a nearby flower shop.
It was quite modest, though this was only a temporary stall, so I didn't expect much.
The stall itself was a red canopy tent, all four sides brimming with arrays of flowers. There were the usuals: roses, specifically red and pink. The universal "I love you" in flower language.
Then there were the daisies, new beginnings. Someone could pick this if they were proposing marriage, or for a new person after a breakup, or anything new in their lives.
The red tulips, if roses were a universal love, tulips would be about passion and intensity; interpretations may vary.
And then finally, the lilies. These symbolize many things, but what I consider to be its most defining characteristic is "purity". It goes the same for the color white; it's quite fitting, actually.
But for a certain special someone, I would need a special flower as well.
A flower that symbolizes the person I admire deeply.
Kanae was panting beside me as she came to a halt.
The vendor was busy attending to another customer, so I took another moment to think.
"Kanae."
Her brows raised.
"Do you know," I continued, "how the belladonna got its name?"
"No...? Is that what you're looking for here?" She looked around the stall, taking a whiff of the roses.
I chuckled. Absolutely not.
"Belladonna, in Italian, means 'beautiful lady'. Bella, meaning beautiful or pretty, and Donna, meaning woman."
She gave a nod.
"In the Renaissance period, noblewomen used to drop belladonna juice to dilate their pupils. This made them appear more alluring with their pupils being bigger." I began strolling around the stall. "Think of it as the makeup of their time."
"Really? I wonder how that would look on me."
I sighed, letting a grin tug at my lips.
"If you did that, you'd be blind within minutes."
Well, that certainly made her pause.
I stopped walking to look at her; it wasn't an earth-shattering shock, but I could easily tell that it had an effect on her.
Was I too direct?
"Think of the Belladonna as Renaissance mercury." My eyes squinted at her. "You do know that mercury is supposed to be poisonous, right?"
She blinked. "Y-yeah, I think my high school teacher mentioned that in chemistry."
"You could say that poison and beauty have shared history before; mercury was also used as makeup. It made their skin look pale and polished."
I started picking a few lilies and a bouquet of pink roses. "It also made their skin fall apart, and then they went insane."
Kanae shifted.
Judging by her recent reactions, her thoughts may vary from "wow, this guy is pretty smart" to "creepy...".
A blunder on my part, I'll have to make her feel at ease.
I looked up at her, flashing another smile. "But that's all in the past. Wanna take a walk?"
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Judging by the sky, it's about 3 pm now. It's been four hours since I've been out. Elise is probably going to scold me once I get back.
We were still roaming around the park.
I think an old lady mistook us for a couple, actually. I can't blame her; the times were right as well.
A boy and a girl, alone, walking together.
I scoffed. Seems like something out of a cliche romance novel.
In my hand was a plastic bag, two bouquets: lilies and pink roses.
I still haven't found a flower for her. And I still haven't thought of a plan for Minami's study strategy.
Time's ticking...
Mom's coming home soon as well.
"Miyato?" Kanae asked beside me.
"Sorry, I was just thinking." I smiled. "The breeze is pretty good this time around, the chill is nice, don't you think?"
She nodded.
Our stroll continued until I heard a loud growl.
Was it my stomach? I ate lunch before heading out, so no.
I blankly stared at Kanae before letting out a laugh. "If you were hungry, you could've just said so."
"Hahaha—well, yeah, but wouldn't eating together make it too obvious?" She whispered. "That lady already mistook us for one."
"I was planning on going out to eat anyway. And besides, we have to play our part, right?" I leaned closer to her, nodding towards the group of girls walking past us.
"Right..."
Huh, she blushed.
I shook my head as we made our way to a nearby convenience store. Getting out of Yoyogi was simple; all we had to do was avoid anyone with a very assuming mentality.
Still, the "boy and girl walking alone together in a park a day before Valentine's Day" part does scream "couple", so it's better to go with their expectations rather than fight it.
A soft bell chime greeted us as we entered the store. Kanae went for the women's essentials, and I headed for sweets. Minami isn't the type of person to like flowers, so I'd figured I'd give her some chocolate instead.
"That'll be 1,200 yen." The cashier said, smiling.
Expensive...
I scanned through the paper bag, putting it inside the plastic one with the flowers.
Kanae was already sitting by the window, and she bought some drinks for both of us, though I never asked for them.
I sat down across from her as I took a sip. "Can I ask you something?"
She looked up from her phone. "Yeah?"
"I mentioned that I had a sister while we were in the taxi, right?"
She gave a nod.
I took a deep breath, setting aside the plastic cup as I crossed my hands over the table.
"Can I ask you for a favor?"
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You see, my sister is a fan of the entertainment industry itself. And she's never met anyone else who works there aside from Elise and my mom.
I figured that bringing in someone from the same industry to teach her academics would make her focus a lot more.
After all, people learn faster when the teacher carries a bit of status gravity—Robert Cialdini wrote about it in Influence.
The presence of someone admired, or even just slightly intimidating, sharpens attention the way a camera lens tightens on a subject.
Minami might tune out her own brother,
But an active model?
That's a whole different reward circuit firing.
The door creaked as I entered Minami's room. It was what you'd expect from a teenage girl's bedroom. The walls were a bright pink, the window was ajar, and her clothes were piled right next to her cabinet.
Of course, you could never forget the scent of vanilla from the candles. I still wonder why she even buys those when she has her table lamp.
And the flowers? Surprisingly, she kept the lilies intact for one night.
The girl was still wrapped up in her sheets, the chocolate wrapper on the top of her table drawer.
I sighed before jolting her awake.
"Get up, idiot."
No response.
Figures.
"Hey." I leaned in, shaking her. "Wake up."
A muffled groan emerged.
"We're going to the cafe today, there's someone waiting for you there."
One eye opened.
She groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes before slowly muttering. "Huh... What time is it?"
I stepped away from her bed, opening her closet as I went through her clothes. Every single one smelled like strawberries. The moment I opened the closet doors, that was the only smell I could describe here.
"It's nine in the morning, hurry up and get dressed," I said as I tossed her a cream sweater.
I looked back, only to see her snoring back onto her bed.
"It's nine am on a Sunday!" She shouted, muffled. "It's a crime to wake me up at this time."
"Do you even know who we're going to meet?" I took out a mid-length skirt, tossing it onto her bed.
"Why should I care?! It's not like some superstar idol is waiting for me there."
My hand slipped into my pocket as I took out my phone, scrolling through my messages.
1 notification from Sugimori Kanae
"I'm at the cafe! (^▽^)"
Sent a photo.
"She's already there, Minami. We can't—"
For a moment, it seemed like Minami jolted awake from a thousand-year slumber. I have no idea how she does this, but it does make things faster.
"Ohh~" She smirked. "A she? Don't tell me it's your girlfriend~" Minami teased as she started making kissing noises.
I deadpanned at her. "If I say no, would you take it as a no?"
"Nope!" She jumped out, already trying on the clothes I had laid out on her bed.
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"WOWOWOWOWOW!"
As expected, Minami immediately went up to Kanae as we entered the cafe. A few people started staring at us.
An old lady was smiling from her seat, but the couple sitting by the cafe's door paid no mind.
It was Valentine's Day after all, the day of love, but I do see the guy trying his best not to stare as well. His girlfriend must be pretty fiery if that's his reaction to two pretty girls in front of him, excluding the girlfriend.
"You're Kanae, right?" Minami said as we made our way to a window seat.
Kanae was sitting across from us, wearing a black blazer—the handbag was still present. I'm really starting to wonder what the purpose of a handbag is.
"Yep, Miyato told me a lot about you! He said you were preparing for your entrance exams and asked me to help."
Minami almost immediately looked me dead in the eye. "He did?"
"Yes, I did." I stared back. "Kanae is affiliated with an agency that has ties to Elise; be grateful that she took her time to tutor you."
The girl gave me a huff before standing up, going around our table as she sat right next to Kanae.
I could already imagine what would happen next.
"So~ Kanae, how old are you?"
"Eh...?" Kanae let out a nervous laugh. "I'm 19 years old—"
"19?!" Minami leaned ever closer before turning her gaze towards me. "I didn't know you were into older girls, Miya!"
This girl...
I gave Kanae a smile. "Sorry about that, Minami's always like this."
The gremlin spoke up again. "Hey—"
"But I promise, she's a good kid at heart."
After a few more minutes of keeping Minami down, eventually, the tutoring did start showing its effects.
There were already books laid out across our table. I think I've already spent over three thousand yen on just Minami's snacks alone.
I was sitting by the counter, watching as the two laughed together. Status-gravity and meeting someone new, these two things were the only reasons why Minami managed to stay focused for an entire 30 minutes.
I should treat them.
"Three lattes please, one chocolate, two coffees."
The barista nodded as she looked down at the counter.
Hm...
Buzz Buzz
A phone call?
I looked at the caller before answering it.
Mom?
"Hello?"
An icy voice came from the other side.
"Miyato? Where are you two?"
"We're at a cafe, I asked Elise, and she gave us permission."
I leaned on the countertop, staring into the glass door as Mom spoke up again.
"I see. My flight is landing in two hours, just wanted to let you know."
The line ended once again.
"Two hours, huh," I muttered.
The barista gave me a gentle poke on the back of my shoulder as she spoke up in a weirdly nervous tone. "H-here's your order, sir."
I paid no mind to it as I nodded and gave her the bill.
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"Your drink, Miss."
The flight attendant said as he laid down a glass of wine. I gently took the cup as I sipped, looking out into the window as Kagoshima loomed below.
Château Margaux.
Classy.
Not my taste.
I tucked my phone back into my handbag, stretching my legs as the other attendants marched about.
Elise set this up to be a private flight, but somehow, someway, life had its methods of delaying it. I was supposed to be home four hours ago, but I guess not everything can go my way. That was how everything started for me, actually.
I brushed my hand over my hair—unnatural black as the media describes it. Wavy in a way that's fitting for any moment.
I looked at the window again, now with ocean blue eyes staring back at me.
I adjusted my coat before taking out my phone again.
What are those kids doing...
It's bad enough that Miyato involved a random girl in his detective streak; it's even worse now that they're after Minami as well.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Although I can't blame them, they're my children, after all. Two kids who inherited the looks of the bachelor and the bachelorette.
I raised my glass.
"Take it back, please," I said.
"Yes, miss."
The attendant frantically took the glass from my hand.
Oh, please. It's not like you're committing blasphemy by accidentally touching me.
I allowed myself a small chuckle before the lights started flickering.
We must be landing by now; better get ready.
There are several things a famous person must do when out in public. First, there's the black baseball cap—I haven't used this since I grew my hair out. Second, the black mask, for obvious reasons. And finally, the black shades.
Fortunately, glasses are my style. I always have them hung above my head.
Think of it as a mix of utility and fashion, nifty, am I correct?
As the plane landed, I took my roller as the attendants bowed, one following closely as they carried my travel bag.
Seriously, you don't have to. I sighed.
And as I descended the plane's stairs, I immediately recognized the blonde hair of the woman carrying what looked like a paper bag standing at the end.
Elise smiled, arms crossed. "Welcome home, frosty."
I scoffed, taking the bag from the attendant as I waved goodbye. "I have a name, you know."
"What a shame." She smirked as we both entered the airport. "You used to love pet names when you were a kid."
I looked around, and as usual, people were staring. However, and fortunately for myself, the stares were "That's a pretty woman..." rather than "Kyaaa! It's her!".
"How are the twins?" I offered my travel bag.
Elise took it as we passed the escalator. "They're doing fine. Miyato took Minami to a cafe to meet the girl I told you about."
My eyes widened. "What. Is. He. Planning."
"Don't worry," she adjusted her glasses, "he told me it was for Minami's sake, I figured it's about the entrance exams since he looked exhausted yesterday—probably from teaching her."
Thank God.
"Ah," Elise continued, "Miyato told me to give this to you." She reached into the paper bag.
It was a bouquet of flowers. Pink carnations specifically.
I must've taught him well, or maybe flower language is something that rubbed off from me.
I smiled as I took it out, placing the paper bag onto my roller.
There was a message written along the bouquet's ribbons.
Happy Valentine's Day, Mom.
To: Yuki Shizuka